Fran Claro's Food Blog

In the Style of the Shoemaker

The nonnas cook using “a dash of this, a spoonful of that, and a pinch of whatever.” So on a rainy spring afternoon, it is surprising when they sit at the kitchen table and talk about recipes — American recipes — their daughters clip from newspapers and magazines.

“I don’t like the ones that use butter, not olive oil,” a nonna says. The rest nod knowingly while wrinkling their noses. The prospect of using a Northern Italian or French medium to brown chicken makes them shudder.

“We’re lucky we can find all the things we need to cook right here,” another says. “My daughter-in-law,” she pauses, “the Irish one, she travels far to get what she needs to cook when her mother is coming to dinner.”

“Well, she could just use vegetables and chicken,” says a nonna brusquely. “They’re popular with everybody– Irish, American — and there are a thousand ways to cook them.”